Match Preview, Playoff Edition: Portland Thorns v Gotham FC
Portland travels to NYC to take on Gotham in the first round of the NWSL playoffs
No. 6 seed Portland will travel to take on No. 3 seed Gotham FC for in the Quarterfinals of the NWSL playoffs this Sunday, Nov. 10th, at 12 p.m. PST. Portland is coming off a meteoric win against Angel City.
Gotham is the defending champions after going into the playoffs in sixth place last year, and are set to host their first-ever playoff match. It will also be a rematch of last year's semi-finals when Gotham beat Portland at home 0-1.
These two sides have faced off twice in the regular season, with Gotham FC claiming victory on both occasions, winning 1-0 on March 24, and 2-0 on August 24.
Gotham has some strong offense this season. Notably, Esther Gonzales has tallied 9 goals this season.
Portland is the league’s only team to make the playoffs 10 times and they seem like they’re on the precipice of either a playoff run or an early exit.
Gotham is coming into the playoffs with a four-game win streak while Portland has two wins in their last 5 NWSL matches so it’ll be interesting to see how the energy from the end of the season transfers into playoffs.
If you haven’t heard STF’s podcast episode recapping the Sinclair game and previewing this upcoming match listen here.
Players to watch
Gotham FC
Esther Gonzales- As mentioned before Esther is a solid goalscorer, she’ll be a challenge for the Thorns’ backline.
Midge Purce- We’ve seen her on the world stage for the USWNT. She’s a formidable attacker with great distribution skills.
Ann-Katrin Berger- A world-class goalie, she’ll be a solid opponent to the goalscorers of PDX.
Portland Thorns
Soph Smith- Scored for the first time since returning from the Olympics in the match against Angel City, hopefully this means she’s back.
Hina Sugita- She returned to the starting lineup against Angel City after a lengthy time away due to injury, she’s electric in the midfield and will be critical against Gotham.
Marie Müller- One of the best defenders for the Thorns this year, Müller has excelled in everything she’s done on the pitch.
Predicted lineup
Hogan
Payne-Hubly-Sauerbrunn-Müller
Sugita-Coffey-Fleming
Weaver-Sinclair-Smith
What do the Thorns need to do to secure a playoff win? Let us know in the comments!
https://www.allforxi.com/2024/11/9/24292355/jessie-fleming-ready-for-nwsl-playoff-debut-with-portland-thorns-canwnt-canada
I agree that Sinc will start tomorrow. What's weird, though, is that Sinc BARELY played in the 2022 semifinal match against SD. Remember that? Her pal Rhian recognized that they would need more pace than Sinc could deliver? That was TWO YEARS AGO.
That said, what would be a better option? Linnehan? Spaanstra?
Plus, there's always the chance that Sinc pots a poacher's goal for us. It's just a question of whether the chance of her helping us outweighs the risk of us getting run off the field.